ISRAEL-LEBANON: Gov't Sets Aside Ksh100M For Evacuation of Kenyans In Lebanon

ISRAEL-LEBANON: Gov’t Sets Aside Ksh100M For Evacuation of Kenyans In Lebanon

Kenya’s Prime CS and Foreign & Diaspora Affairs CS, Musalia Mudavadi, announced on Wednesday that the government has set aside Ksh100 million to fund the evacuation of Kenyans still trapped in war-torn Lebanon.

While appearing before the Senate on October 9, Mudavadi stated that the ministry had also formed a committee to coordinate the evacuation of Kenyans who had already registered and requested assistance in flying back home.

“The government of Kenya has set aside Ksh 100 million and there is a committee in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs working with the security and other agencies to see how this Ksh100 million can be utilised to assist in the evacuation of Kenyans who are in Lebanon at this point of time,” Mudavadi said.

When asked why it took so long for the government to intervene, he explained that the process had begun much earlier, before the war escalated.

Sen. @RichardOnyonka_ (Kisii): Does the Government have plans to evacuate Kenyans living in Lebanon due to the ongoing war between Israel and Lebanon? #SenateLive pic.twitter.com/InpV55DfyI
— Senate of Kenya (@Senate_KE) October 9, 2024

However, the state faced a number of challenges, including the fact that the majority of Kenyans failed to register.

Mudavadi said that out of the approximately 26,000 Kenyans who work and live in Lebanon, only about 1,500 registered when the government first requested that Kenyans stuck in the country register.

“Even before the war escalated, this was ongoing and we had received almost 1,500 or so who had registered indicating that they may need support for evacuation,” Mudavadi relayed.

In a shocking revelation, Mudavadi also stated that some Kenyans were initially opposed to being evacuated.

“The others were quiet and believe me Kenyans, we also had a situation where the Kenyans there, out of their own volition said they don’t want to move, they want to hold out until the situation cools down so we have that dilemma as well,” Mudavadi stated.

This morning, I appeared before the Senate plenary to provide insights into the staffing levels, categorized by cadre, at the Kenya Embassy in Washington, D.C., as well as the two Kenyan Consulates General in Los Angeles and New York. I also elaborated on the vital roles played… pic.twitter.com/U6V2ApLsvm
— Musalia W Mudavadi (@MusaliaMudavadi) October 9, 2024

This revelation comes just two days after the Kenyan Ombudsman’s Office (the Commission on Administrative Justice) issued a seven-day deadline to the PS Diaspora Affairs to provide an update on the Kenyans who remain in Lebanon.

“The Commission has given the Principal Secretary of the State Department for Diaspora Affairs seven days to respond to social media reports highlighting the plight of Kenyans living and working in Lebanon, particularly in light of the recent escalation of violence and the deteriorating security situation,’’ the Ombudsman shared in a statement.

‘’Provide an evacuation plan indicating the steps to be taken to evacuate Kenyan citizens from Lebanon, including; the timeline, logistics, resources allocated, and any collaboration with partners for the evacuation process.”

This came after several Kenyans still in Lebanon began posting viral videos of themselves stuck in the war-torn country.

ALSO READ:

One of them claimed that some of the domestic workers did not have passports because their employers refused to hand them back, a practice known as the Kafala System in the Middle East.

Following that, the ministry issued an 11-day ultimatum to Kenyans still in Lebanon to register for evacuation and seek assistance. The deadline is October 12.

Kenya’s non-resident Ambassador to Lebanon, Halima Mohamud, based in Kuwait, urged those still stranded to call +96590906719, +96171175006, or +254114757002.

“We are in touch with every Kenyan in Lebanon. So far, no one has been reported dead or injured,” Mohamud said.

ISRAEL-LEBANON: Gov’t Sets Aside Ksh100M For Evacuation of Kenyans In Lebanon